The attention to detail extends beyond the four walls in that office. It's there in the tech labs Jensen works his way through soon after, all whirring servos and fantastical machines, and it's there in the clothing worn by those around you. Dr. Megan Reed, who is Jensen's guide in the opening moments, is dressed as an aggressive Eighties' vision of the future with her jutting shoulder pads and blooming neckline, while Sarif himself wears an angular waistcoat so sharp it looks like it'd be painful to the touch.

Deus Ex isn't just about avant-garde knitwear, though – somewhere beneath all that arresting fashion there's an action RPG, and quite a spectacular one too. The choice is overwhelming, and every direction the player may take is backed up with incredible execution. Maps are coursed with multiple routes and multiple options, and while the shooting is perfectly competent Jensen's more fragile frame at the start of the game guides the player towards stealth.

And stealth is something that Deus Ex: Human Revolution does very well. The mix of first and third person is a perfect fit for sneaking around – when Jensen moves into cover the camera switches out, giving a valuable view of the surroundings. Ducking between desks and low partitions is smooth and easy, and when the transition is made back to first person it's equally slick.

Adam Jensen testing out SEGA's next iteraion of Lock-On.

It's also horribly tense, as early face-to-face encounters will often end in disaster. Studying guard's patterns and devising sneaking strategies is important, and thankfully Human Revolution gives players the tools to cut out the frustration that can blight other stealth titles.

Stealth is the most viable option at the start, but it's not the only one. The extensive skill tree shows how deep Deus Ex runs, and it also bares the game's hardcore RPG credentials. Choice, the byword of the series, is here in abundance and it's perfectly possible that no two players will experience the same game.

Choice isn't just apparent when there's a gun in hand – it also plays a part in Jensen's interactions with some of the less threatening characters, as conversation is guided through a Mass Effect-style dialogue wheel. It's just as effective here as it was in BioWare's game, throwing up some compelling moral dilemmas.

The comparisons with Mass Effect don't end there. Like that game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution takes a brand of gameplay that was once synonymous with the hardcore PC market, polishes it to within an inch of its life and then delivers an experience that's threatening to be one of this year's very best. It's something that's worth getting excited about, regardless of whether you've played a Deus Ex game before or not.